Blurred Edges
by ComicalEpiphanies
Summary: If you're trapped in two worlds, which one is real? CORRECTED
1. Anniversary

**A/N: Okay, like I said, here's the next story. This one was written in October, so it should be less cheesy. It might get a little strange, but bear with it, it should all make sense in the end. For clarification, I've labeled the sections as: DD - meaning the usual, SW - seeing world (it'll make sense in the third chapter) and BW - meaning, of course, blind world. **

**Now that I've gotten that out of the way, let me again thank ModernScribe, who is such a great editor, she promised to stay up with me to get this one out and is now snoring into my carpet. Thanks a lot.**

**A/N2: This is the corrected version. The story line is the same but the grammar and dialogue is cleaned up a bit. Hopefully the corrections will make the story a little more enjoyable. **

**Disclaimer: If I own Daredevil, or any other characters I might have borrowed, you all owe me a big check. Nothing arriving in the mail? Guess not. **

Chapter One: Anniversary

_SCREECH! CRASH! A flash of white light, then darkness._

"_Mr. Murdock? May we talk for a moment?" The nurse waits until Jack Murdock closes the door behind him. "I am afraid I have some bad news for you. The liquid that splashed into Matt's eyes was toxic. I am sorry Mr. Murdock, but your son is blind." _

Matthew Murdock's head snapped up from its position on the desk. He felt his watch. It was seven thirty. _Time to go home._

On the way out, Matt stopped at his partner's, Franklin "Foggy" Nelson's, door to tell him he was calling it a night.

"So early? When was the last time you turned in at seven thirty?" Foggy called at Matt's retreating back.

Matt stopped and turned around to face him. "Today's the third."

"Yeah, so?"

"It's been fifteen years."

"Since what?"

Matt had never told Foggy the details of the accident that had cost him his sight. Then again, only he knew the whole story. Matt decided it was time he told Foggy about some of the events of October third, fifteen years ago.

"Since the accident."

"Wanna talk about it?" Foggy asked.

Matt nodded, following Foggy into his office. He pushed the many law books off the couch and sat down. He waited for a moment, then cleared his throat and started telling his story.

"As you know, I was fifteen years old. I was coming out of the library when I saw this blind man – I can appreciate the irony – crossing the street. Then I saw the truck. It was speeding. I learned later that the driver had had a heart attack, but all I could think about then was that the man was moving too slowly. I knew there was no chance he would cross before the truck hit him. I didn't think; I just acted. Next thing I knew, the man was safe, and I was lying on the ground. Then came the explosion.

"I woke in the hospital with my father sitting next to me. You know the rest." Matt said, but he knew Foggy _didn't _know the rest. He didn't know that the waste that blinded Matt also heightened his remaining senses. He didn't know that those senses allowed Matt to be Daredevil.

"Good God Matt, you never told me that! I thought you were in a car wreck or something! We've known each other since college and I never knew." Foggy rattled. Then his other emotions caught up and he said, "You want me to come home with you?"

"Nah, I'll be fine. I just want some time with myself."

With that, Matt picked up his cane, and walked to the door. He could still hear Foggy's heartbeat, faster than normal.

-DD-

Matt arrived at his brownstone twenty minutes later. He unlocked his door, listening as it creaked slightly.

Matt went into his kitchen to start dinner. As he got the ingredients out of the fridge, he turned on the radio. He listened in silence as the newscaster reported on the new Wal-Mart coming in and was about to turn it off when the story suddenly switched.

Before the report had finished, the water was boiling and Matt was gone.

-DD-

Daredevil smiled. He lived for the feeling of the wind slapping his face as he leaped across buildings. He loved the feeling of complete freedom. It was the only time he didn't feel like he was acting. It was total bliss.

Then Daredevil smelled it: the sharp and unmistakable smell of blood. Daredevil hated that smell. It invaded every sense, seeping into every niche and cranny. It was the one smell he could never block out.

He turned left, heading toward the smell and the sound of sirens. When he got there, however, he wished he hadn't. There were people screaming, police running around like chickens with their heads cut off, and blood. Much more blood than he had thought. Daredevil's hyper senses were overloaded.

Daredevil blocked out as much of the noise and distraction as he could and concentrated on the chief of police. The chief was yelling. His voice was so high pitched that even Daredevil had trouble hearing it.

"Johnson! Get those people away from there! O'Henry, get me another body bag!" he barked, then, catching sight of Daredevil, shouted "If you are going to be of any help, you had better get yourself down here!"

Daredevil almost smiled. He recognized the voice of Lieutenant Nick Manolas, a rough but fair officer and a somewhat friend of Daredevil's. They had worked together a few times. The fact that he was here, however, wasn't comforting. Lieutenant Manolas was the officer in charge of any case related to Bullseye, one of Daredevil's most deadly foes.

"Hello Lieutenant" Daredevil said, jumping off the fire escape with a graceful summersault, landing on his feet in front of the cop.

"You know why I'm here?" Manolas asked.

He never was one to mince words.

"I suspect it's because Bullseye has been spotted?" Daredevil replied flatly. _Please don't say yes, _he thought. But even as the thoughts formed, he knew there was no such luck.

"Right, three victims." Manolas looked down at the body at his feet, "Poor devils."

Daredevil sighed. "So, when did it happen?" He could feel the first victim losing body heat as he spoke.

"The coroner puts their time of death around eight o'clock."

"What time is it now?" Daredevil asked. His watch was still with his suit at his brownstone.

Manolas glanced at his watch, "Almost nine."

"Well, I doubt Bullseye is anywhere near here, but I'll take a look." Daredevil started to pull out his billy club to swing to the top of the nearest building, but Manolas stopped him.

"Wait a second, Red."

Daredevil stopped, surprised at his tone.

"Be careful."

Daredevil nodded in response, and was gone.

Manolas sighed. He liked Daredevil, although he didn't want Daredevil to know it. He had a great deal of respect for the man in tights. Sure, they'd had their disagreements, but they were both on the same side, and Nick knew that.

He looked up again at Daredevil's outline, almost invisible against the dark October sky, and whispered "Good luck." Then he turned back to the bodies and started yelling at his team to take them back to the morgue.

-DD-

Daredevil searched until midnight for Bullseye. He didn't expect to find anything, Bullseye was, after all, a pro, but still, there was always a chance. He broke up a bar fight, stopped a couple robberies – the usual stuff – before finally heading home to his brownstone.

Matt was still thinking about Bullseye when he fell asleep.


	2. Crash

**A/N: I know the comic books never mention Bullseye having an accent, but the movie does and I think it adds a little depth to his character so I'm putting it in.**

Chapter Two: Crash

_The cold night air froze Daredevil's breath in his chest. He listened for something, anything. The hairs on the back of his neck were sticking up. _

_A straightened paperclip came flying out of nowhere. Daredevil barely moved out of its way. He registered a shriek of mirth before he heard a voice. The voice had a slight but distinct accent; an Irish accent._

"_You're good Daredevil. But in my hands, everything is a deadly weapon," said Bullseye. "You can't keep running."_

_Daredevil knew he was telling the truth. No one's aim, not even Daredevil's own, was better than Bullseye's. _

_He dodged another missile from Bullseye, a toothpick this time. He heard it drill through the wall behind him. _

_Daredevil was trapped. Without realizing it, Daredevil had dodged himself into a corner, right where Bullseye wanted him…_

Matt sprang up in his bed. He remembered the fight. It had been one of the early ones. He hadn't yet realized what Bullseye could do. The fight hadn't ended the way it had in his dream. No, it had gone on much longer. It was one of the hardest fights Daredevil had ever fought, bested only by his first against the Kingpin, Wilson Fisk.

Matt was sweating bullets. His alarm was also shrieking its head off. Matt slapped it into silence and climbed out of bed to take a shower.

The hot water cooled his nerves. He stayed under the stream for a long time, listening to the sound of the water hitting the tiles. It was comforting, like a lullaby. Matt had to shake himself to keep from falling back to sleep. He got quickly out of the shower.

Matt had just tied the towel around his waist when he heard the doorbell ring. His "radar" – what he called all his senses combined – told him that it was Foggy at the door.

"Matt! Are you awake?" Foggy shouted through the door.

Matt opened a window and stuck his head out. "Come on in, Foggy. I'll be right down." He got dressed quickly and went downstairs to greet his best friend.

"Hey. What are you doing here?" Matt asked, toweling his hair as he walked into the kitchen where Foggy was just pouring tea into a teapot.

"I wanted to make sure you were okay. Honey?" Foggy replied, searching the cupboards.

"Top left, next to the sugar and molasses. Why didn't you just call?"

"Hey! Don't look a gift horse in the mouth!" Foggy pretended to sound hurt, but Matt knew he'd really been worried.

_Shouldn't have told him about the third. Now he is going to be watching my every move for the next week. _

Matt stirred his tea thoughtfully. He was still thinking about the dream and Bullseye. Foggy, on the other hand, had no such qualms.

"Come on Matt. We've got a big day ahead of us in court. You're not wearing that, are you?"

Matt tried to look offended. "What's wrong with it? I always wear a suit."

"Yeah, but not with that shirt. It doesn't match at all."

"It's white! How can it not match?" Matt played along.

Foggy didn't bother responding, just stood up and headed upstairs to Matt's room. "Here you go, now go change. I'll meet you downstairs in five minutes."

Matt huffed and went to the bathroom to change.

Foggy looked at his best friend's retreating back. He smiled as he remembered when they used to do this all the time.

Just then Foggy realized he was supposed to be downstairs, so he dashed down before Matt could realize he was still there.

-DD-

"So, what have we got today, again?" Matt asked Foggy in the taxicab on the way to their law office, Nelson and Murdock.

"I know we both have a meeting at ten-thirty at Rikers, and I think you have a deposition at one, but that's all I know for you. Talk to Karen when we get to the office," Foggy responded, concentrating on his blackberry.

Matt was about to respond when something caught his attention. A speeding car was racing by their cab. All he had time to shout was, "Foggy! Duck!" and then the cab swerved, hitting a wall and sending Matt's head backwards to hit the side door.

Matt struggled to stay conscious. He heard Foggy swing around to look at the speeding car that had sent them swerving and start dialing 911. Then the blackness that was always there crept up and swallowed him whole.

-DD-

Matt heard voices talking in hushed tones. He didn't open his eyes; after all, there was no point. The chronic darkness would still be there, waiting to laugh at him.

The voices grew louder, or maybe Matt was getting closer, he couldn't tell. He tried to hear the voices' heartbeats, but he couldn't. He drifted back to sleep.


	3. Surprises and Disappointments

**A/N: Remember SW is seeing world, BW is blind world. **

Chapter Three: Surprises and Disappointments

-SW-

Matt was awake. He still heard someone in the room, but the person was snoring. Matt opened his eyes, expecting to see darkness, but what greeted his brain was something entirely different.

Bright light! It was glorious, burning his pupils, blinding him again with pure color. Matt shook himself.

_This isn't happening! It's not possible. I _shouldn't _be able to _see_. _Then Matt's rational thoughts left him and all he had left was pure joy. Dopamine flooded his brain, leaving no crack behind.

Matt stared at the pudgy figure in the chair, his face squashed against a magazine.

_Law Today_, Matt read, rejoicing on being able to read it from across the room. _It must be Foggy. _

"Hey partner." Matt called gently to Foggy.

Foggy's head snapped up from the magazine, a page still hanging from the day's worth of stubble on his chin.

"My God! Matt, you're awake! Wait a minute; let me go tell Ben and Karen. They just went to get a cup of coffee, and I promised them I'd get them if you woke up."

Foggy practically ran from the room, not noticing that for the first time his best friend was looking right at him.

Matt just lay there, drinking in the color, not really thinking about anything but the beauty of the sky, the yellow of the incandescent light on the table, and the white of the sheets underneath him.

Matt jumped when Ben Urich, Karen Page, and Foggy came charging into his hospital room. The first thing Matt noticed was that Ben had a coffee stain on his shirt.

"You better ask a nurse for some stain remover quick, or you're going to lose that shirt." Matt said, matter of factly.

His friends, who were about to say hello, just stopped and stared open-mouthed at Matt.

Karen was the first to speak. "Matt, how many fingers am I holding up?"

Matt could have answered the question even without his sight, but Karen didn't know that, so Matt simply answered the question, "Three."

Foggy dropped the cup of coffee he was holding. "Are you telling us you can see?"

"Yes counselor, I am."

Ben smiled. "Congratulations Matt!"

Karen couldn't speak. She joined Foggy in the chair next to Matt's bed. Matt could tell it was a tight squeeze. He looked at his friends, memorizing the look on each of their faces.

For the first time, he saw Foggy. Saw the plain, extremely rumpled, plaid suit, the slightly pudgy frame, the laugh and stress lines that carved his face.

Matt saw Ben Urich in a creased t-shirt and large glasses.

And finally his newly found eyes landed on Karen. He had dreamed about what she would look like, and she was even prettier than he had imagined. Her hair was a light blonde, her eyes a dazzling robin-egg blue, her face a perfect shape, and her smile – Matt couldn't stop looking at her smile.

Matt's explorations were cut short by Foggy suddenly hugging him, almost crushing him in the process.

"I was afraid you'd died!" Foggy sobbed. "I couldn't think of what to do. You were just lying there in the cab, and then when you arrived at the hospital they said you were in a coma. It was horrible!"

Matt patted him on the back like a mother when one of her children comes back from a bad date. "It's okay. You can't lose me that easily. How about you? Are you okay?"

Foggy nodded and Karen stepped in. "He just had a minor concussion. They only needed to keep him overnight."

"Overnight! How long have I been out?" Matt asked, surprised.

"About three days." Ben's deep voice broke in. "You gave us quite a scare. Now come on Foggy, Karen, let's give Matt his rest."

Ben led the two friends out of the room, but just before he shut the door, he called to Matt, "You want the light on or off?"

Matt smiled even wider. It had been a long time since that question had actually made a difference to him.

"Leave it on."

It wasn't until night had fallen that Matt realized something was wrong. He couldn't hear the nurse outside his room. The hospital was quiet save for the distant wine of the ambulances. Then it hit him, while his deepest wish had been realized, his worst fear had been confirmed. His senses, heightened since the accident, were duller. He was just an ordinary man.

-BW-

Matt slowly opened his eyes. The empty, muffling blackness greeted him like a long-lost friend. It didn't take him longer than a second to recognize Foggy's deep breathing and slow, sluggish heartbeat – pumping harder than usual, no doubt to the stress of a near fatal accident like the one they'd just experience.

Matt smiled. Foggy was asleep. "Hey, partner. Rise and shine." He called softly.

Foggy's head snapped up from it position on the table. Matt heard the almost inaudible sound of the magazine Foggy'd used as a pillow falling from his face. The sound was so comical, Matt almost laughed, but the movement would have sent his already spinning head into a frenzy.

"You're awake! Wait a minute; let me go tell Ben and Karen. They just went to get a cup of coffee, and I promised I'd get them if you woke up." Matt heard him dash out of the room.

Matt spent the next few minutes gauging his surroundings. He had already deduced that he was in a hospital room: the smells of disinfectant and latex were all too obvious. He tried to block out the smells and focus on his other senses.

_Sounds like someone needs a new heart, _he thought, listening to a man on the floor below being rolled down the hall. He was about to concentrate harder, but at that moment, a stampede in the form of his good friends, Ben Urich, Karen Page, and Foggy arrived.

Matt smelled coffee and anxiety on everyone. The smell was especially noticeable on Ben. _Foggy wasn't kidding. He must have pulled Ben away so fast; he spilled coffee on his shirt! _Matt decided not to comment on the spill, it would just lead to hard to answer questions.

"How are you Matt? You had us so worried!" Karen started, moving closer to sit on the bed.

"Why? How long have I been here? And speaking of that, how are you Foggy?" Matt asked, groping for his glasses that his radar told him were on the table.

Karen handed him his glasses while Ben responded to his questions. "You've been out for three days and Foggy's fine."

"Good to hear. Now how am I?"

Foggy stepped up to the plate, "You have nasty concussion and lots a bruises. But otherwise you seem okay. The doctor should be in soon to make sure." Suddenly Foggy stopped. Matt could hear his voice become raspy and crack. "We were really worried for a while. You gave us all a right shock - "

"Yeah, you did." Ben broke in before Foggy could actually start crying. "Now let's go." He pushed Karen and Foggy out the door. Just before he closed it, he called to Matt, "You want the light on or off?"

Matt grinned slightly, and said, "Surprise me."

He sighed as Ben turned off the lights and shut the door. He closed his eyes and tried to block out the dull thumping in his head. Slowly he drifted off to sleep.


	4. A Doctor's Intuition

**A/N: In this chapter Matt has an inner conflict between two parts of his brain. It is not said aloud, therefore not in quotation marks. It is, however, italicized. And on another note, please bear with me. None of the medical facts are true as nothing of this sort seems to have happened. I am totally making the medical stuff up as I go along. If I'm right, it is purely luck and nothing more. **

Chapter Four: A Doctor's Intuition

-SW-

Matt woke up to a nurse plopping a tray of hospital food on his bed. He opened his eyes to the bright light of day shining through his small window and the soft green of the nurse's shirt in front of him.

"I hear you've had a miracle, Mr. Murdock," the nurse said when she saw he was awake.

"What – oh, you mean that. Couldn't have put it better myself," Matt replied, flustered. The nurse after his first accident had said the same thing, before she realized his fate. It had been right before the doctor called his father and he received the bad news. Then the nurse had been talking about his life, now this nurse was talking about his seeing.

"You must be so happy. I would be bouncing off the walls if I could suddenly see after so long." The nurse continued. She hardly seemed to have heard Matt's stuttered response. "Then again, it must have been a shock. What did you think about when you realized you could see?" Matt stopped listening; it was clear the nurse didn't expect any answers.

The only thing he could think about was the price of his sight. He couldn't help but wonder whether Daredevil could continue to exist without his heightened senses.

_You are still a world-class gymnast and fighter, your dulled senses shouldn't matter that much, _a voice in his head said.

Then another voice came in saying, _Yeah, sure. But it was his senses that made him the best. Without them, he is just another guy with a huge justice complex who thinks he looks good in tights. _

The first voice shouted louder, _He is still a master! _

_That's what you think, is it? Well we'll see how he does against Bullseye, shall we? _The second voice sniggered.

-SW-

"Matt! Wake up!" Foggy shouted, standing over Matt's head.

Matt looked around. The nurse was gone. He couldn't understand it; she had just been straightening his window blinds.

"Where'd the nurse go?" He asked, looking around as if hoping to see the nurse hiding behind the chair.

"What are you talking about? The nurse left thirty minutes ago. She said she had to go prep someone for a heart. Where have you been?"

Matt looked at Foggy in amazement, but let it pass. He decided it was strange and put it out of his mind.

At that moment, the doctor arrived, knocking softly on the door.

"Good morning Mr. Murdock. I am your doctor, Dr. Debra Caste."

Matt looked up to see a pleasant face staring at his chart. He nodded in recognition of the introduction.

"We heard about your sight, Mr. Murdock. You are a luck man." She continued, putting up Matt's x-rays.

"The reason is very unique. We have never seen this before." Dr. Caste gestured to the x-rays. "Apparently your coma was exactly what your brain needed to heal itself. We did a MRI when you arrived, but with your permission, I would like to do another."

Dr. Caste was talking so fast, Matt was having trouble understanding her, but the point got across. "Oh well, why not? I'm curious myself. When I heard that I was blind, the doctors said there was no hope, and here I am staring you in the face."

"Excellent. I'll schedule you for a MRI." Dr. Caste made a mark on Matt's chart. "Okay, so lets get down to business."

Dr. Caste's examination didn't take long. She tested his coordination, reflexes, and speech. Finally she said, "Okay Mr. Murdock, we'll keep you here overnight just to make sure, but you seem to be in excellent health. I'm pretty sure you can go home tomorrow." She looked puzzled. Matt could tell she was curious about something.

"What's wrong?" He asked, not really expecting an answer.

"Nothing, it's just that you are so strong!" Dr. Caste answered after a moment's hesitation.

Matt almost smiled. The doctor's tone was disbelieving.

"Yeah, let's just say I know my way around the weight machine, my father was a boxer." He hoped his answer sounded reasonable. Caste's face was still puzzled, but she seemed to believe him. It was harder for Matt to tell without hearing her heart.

"So, I'll check on you later." Then she was gone. Foggy soon followed, apologizing for leaving Matt alone, but he had to get back to the work he'd been neglecting for the past few days.

Matt was alone once again.

-BW-

"Mr. Murdock? It is eight o'clock in the morning, I have your breakfast."

A nurse was tapping Matt on the shoulder. Matt sat up so quickly, the nurse jumped back in shock sending the food scattering to the floor. To Matt's slight distaste, the eggs simply wiggled. It didn't sound pretty.

"I am so sorry, I didn't hear you come in." Matt tried to get up and help the nurse pick up the tray.

"No, stay! I can get it. I shouldn't have stood so close to you when I woke you up." The young nurse was stuttering. Her heartbeat was beating faster than a rabbit's. Matt felt sorry for the poor girl, and was about to help her anyway, but just as he was about to climb out of bed despite the orders, Foggy came in.

"Matthew! Keep your butt in that bed!"

"Hello Foggy." Matt said flatly.

"Hey, how are you feeling?" Foggy asked in an almost motherly tone as he bent down to help the nurse pick up the food scattered across the floor. "Obviously not hungry." Matt heard the nurse give a small giggle; he didn't think it was all that funny.

Soon after the nurse left, another woman came in. Matt could smell the sharp scent of coffee and perspiration as soon as she entered the room.

"Hello, Mr. Murdock. I'm your doctor, Dr. Debra Caste."

"Nice to meet you," Matt responded cordially.

Foggy looked up and Matt could tell he had nodded a hello.

"Okay, let's get started," Dr. Caste said, hanging Matt's x-rays on the light. "I'm looking at your scans right now and it looks good. You don't have any breaks. How do you feel?"

Matt almost snorted. "If I were to tell you I'd had worse headaches, would you believe me?"

"Probably not, judging from the concussion you received, but thanks for trying," Dr. Caste laughed. After a moment she added, "I'm going to test your reflexes."

She approached Matt, hammer at the ready.

"Wow! Impressive," the doctor commented once she'd finished.

"What can I say?" joked Matt. "Comes from losing my balance so often."

Caste nodded and smiled in recognition.

"I'm sorry to have to ask you to get out of bed, but I need to test your coordination. Could you please walk a few steps for me?" Dr. Caste said after awhile. "Oh here, you'll need this I suppose?" she added, handing Matt his white cane.

"Thanks. How far do you want me to go?"

Caste looked up, gauging the distance to the opposite corner. "About five feet, only a few steps."

Matt got up. His radar told him he would hit the chair and Foggy in less than four, but he did what he was instructed. When his cane hit the corner of the chair, he stopped and turned to face the doctor.

"Want me to continue into Foggy or should I just go back?" Matt heard Foggy snort.

"It's okay, you can come back. Your coordination seems fine, I can't see any problems."

Matt could hear her pen tapping against her clipboard. "Is something the matter? Your pen seems a little anxious."

Dr. Caste looked confused for a moment. "What? Oh, nothing - it's just you seem in excellent health."

"I would have thought that was a good thing." Matt responded calmly.

"It is, I'm just a little surprised that's all." The doctor didn't seem to be able to stop ramming her foot farther into her mouth now that she'd started. "After all, you have the body of a professional athlete. Do you do any sports? Your file says you're a lawyer. What I mean to say is, you're blind!"

The question came as a surprise to Matt. He hadn't expected her to actually ask him why he was so muscular; he had never been asked before. Then again, while he was Matthew Murdock he made sure to wear clothes that hid his well-formed body.

After a minute Matt said, "Yeah, well my father was a boxier, so I guess it is partly hereditary."

She didn't sound entirely convinced. Matt could hear her heartbeat beating a little faster than it had before.

"I'm pretty sure Darwin disproved that theory, Mr. Murdock." She sounded surer of herself now that she'd gotten the question off her chest. "Be that as it may, you are in wonderful health, as I said before. You should be able to leave tomorrow, but for now, rest. The nurse will bring you something for the headache."

Dr. Caste left the room.

"Well, that went well." Foggy said, speaking for the first time in half an hour. "I'm sorry to leave you here alone, but I have been neglecting the law for too long. I promise I'll be here bright and early tomorrow to take you home." Then he too left Matt's room.


	5. An Unwelcome Welcome

**A/N: ModernScribe (my twin) graciously agreed to write the article that follows, but as she isn't part of the Marvel universe, Ben Urich takes the credit. **

Chapter Five: An Unwelcome Welcome

-SW-

Matt woke up from his short nap. For a moment, he didn't understand why he was awake, and then he felt the letter underneath his cheek.

Matt opened the short note from Ben. He read:

_Matt,_

_I wanted to wake you up when I arrived, but a nurse said she would flay me alive if I did, so I am writing you this note. I am inclosing a clipping from last night's paper. I am sorry to have to tell you this when you are still recovering, but it is an emergency._

_Ben_

Matt took out the newspaper clipping and began to read:

**Bullseye strikes again**

**By Ben Urich **

**Last night, three people were killed on 23****rd**** Street. The methods of murder match those of recently escaped Irish convict and assassin Bullseye. **

**Three days ago, Bullseye escaped from three life sentences at Rikers Prison on a remote island off the coast of Manhattan. The police remain unsure of how he managed this feat. **

"**He was in top security and all!" one prison guard said yesterday. "One minute he was there in his cell playing with a paperclip, the next, alarms were ringing, two of my buddies were dead, and he was gone!"**

**Last night appears to be Bullseye's first "adventure" since then.**

"**There is no doubt in my mind, Bullseye is the killer," the officer in charge of the investigation, Lieutenant Nick Manolas said yesterday. "One victim was killed with a paperclip, another with a pen, and the last with a playing card. Classic Bullseye."**

**Bullseye is known for using innocent office supplies as weapons. **

"**He never misses," Manolas said. "In his hands, everything is a weapon." **

When Matt finished, he sighed. He still didn't know whether Daredevil could exist without his powers.

He spent the rest of the day contemplating this dilemma and working on the work that Karen had sent over with Ben.

-BW-

Matt had only been asleep for a couple of hours when he inadvertently rolled on to a letter. The sound of crinkling paper and the feel of the torn pages surprised him. He opened the envelope and felt the letter and article inside.

After he finished the article, he reread the letter. He realized his fingers had missed a P.S.

'P.S. Bullseye is looking for you.' He read.

_Great. Just what I need. Well, he can wait another night._

Matt spent the rest of the day working on the work Karen had sent over the previous night. Dr. Caste came in during the late afternoon and confirmed that he could leave tomorrow morning. She also balled him out for working rather than resting, but Matt didn't really feel up to sleeping. All he wanted to do was get out of bed and take Daredevil for a spin. He felt locked, like an old suit in the back of a closet. He needed air.

Matt fell asleep counting the minutes until Daredevil could be free.

-SW-

Matt left the hospital with Foggy.

"What do you think, should we risk another cab?" Foggy joked when they left the building.

"Why not? We should take risks in our life once and awhile." Matt responded. He was having trouble making out Foggy's features. The sunlight was so bright! He had forgotten how very bright it was. "Hey Foggy, have you got my sunglasses by any chance?"

Foggy looked puzzled, but reached into Matt's bag to locate his glasses. "Here you go."

"Thanks partner." Matt put on the glasses. There were so many fingerprints on the lenses; he was shocked. "I certainly hope my house doesn't look like this!" He commented as he wiped the glasses on his shirt.

"Nope! Karen and I took the liberty of cleaning it last night."

Matt stopped, suddenly struck by the sudden fear that they had found his costume or the extensive gym in the basement of his brownstone.

"What's wrong? The cab's waiting." Foggy asked.

Matt hid his fear. "Nothing, I'm just surprised that you thought to do that." He got into the cab.

"It was nothing for my partner in crime."

-SW-

Matt opened the door to his brownstone. For the first time in a long while, the sound of the door opening didn't send shivers up his spine.

The door opened into a small foyer and a nice stairwell curved upward.

Matt walked forward, staring at his house. It felt like his house, but it didn't seem to be. The walls were on off-white, almost a tope color. The house was neat and comforting, it had a welcome home kind of feel, but nonetheless, it was strange. It was clean, like Foggy said. Matt liked the look, though he found himself missing the smell. It had always had a woody, old-time smell, but now his heightened sense of smell was gone and he was left with the emptiness of a stuffy house that hadn't been lived in for a week.

"I'm gonna leave you here, Matt," Foggy put down the overnight bag he'd been caring for Matt, "If you need me, just call." Matt nodded, and Foggy left.

Matt continued to explore his house. Everything was different, yet oddly the same. It didn't take him long to reach his bedroom. The room was exactly the way he had pictured it; the only thing that was. He smiled, finally feeling at home.

He walked into the bathroom and stopped. For the first time in fifteen years, he was looking at himself. He stared at the face in the mirror, the rusty red hair, the strong jaw, and deep lines. _I look like my father!_ He thought to himself. _Except my eyes. And the scars. _Matt's eyes were rimed with circles. The lines were thin, almost invisible against his skin, but there they were: the evidence of former bravery.

Matt stood there, looking at his father for an immeasurable amount of time. Then he tore his eyes away from the mirror.

-BW-

Matt was happy to be home. Foggy had checked him out from the hospital an hour ago. Matt had spent the hour finishing the brief he had started yesterday. Then he went up to his bedroom and changed. When he came back down, he was no longer Matthew Murdock, blind lawyer; he was Daredevil, The Man Without Fear.

Then the man was gone, soaring once again over the buildings of Hell's Kitchen, drinking in the sounds and smells of New York's underworld.


	6. Good Tidings

Chapter Six: Good Tidings

-BW-

Daredevil headed toward the Daily Bugle's building, hoping to see Ben Urich. Ben was the old fashioned type of reporter, still preferring legwork to the Internet, so Daredevil had a slim chance of actually seeing him, but he decided to risk it. Daredevil needed to catch up and Ben was the only one who could help.

"Daredevil! Good to see you're better," Ben said as Daredevil opened the window of his private office. "How's your head?" Daredevil shrugged.

"I need info, Ben. In your note, you said Bullseye is looking for me. Want to elaborate?" Daredevil asked.

"Well, I don't have much. I can tell you that Bullseye has been asking for you around Josie's. If I were you, I'd check there. And while you've been out of commission, there have been a couple of robberies."

"Spiderman can deal with that, right now all I want to think about is Bullseye."

"Okay, just thought you might like to know." Ben defended. He started to add "good luck", but Daredevil was gone.

-SW-

Matt heard the doorbell ring.

"I'm coming!" He shouted, running down the stairs. "Ben! How in the world do you know where I live?"

"How could you doubt the man that found out about your secret identity? I am a reporter!" Ben pretended to sound hurt. "Plus, I asked Foggy. You go to let me in or not?"

Matt laughed. "Yeah sure, come on in." Matt followed Ben into his house. "What do you need?"

"I need to talk to you about Bullseye." Ben said, losing his joking manner.

"Wait. Before you start, I need to tell you something. Ben, the truth is, I've lost my senses." Matt said, sadly.

Ben stared at Matt. "Are you still Daredevil?"

"That, Ben, is the million dollar question."

-SW-

Matt went for a walk after Ben left. He let his feet guide him and soon found himself in front of the Church of the Holy Innocents. Matt slowly walked up the steps and opened the heavy wooden doors.

Inside he saw a young choirboy. "Could you find Sister Maggie and tell her someone is her to see her?" He half-whispered. The boy turned and left, Matt assumed to find Sister Maggie. Matt took off his glasses; he didn't need them in the dark gloom of the church.

-SW-

Sister Maggie was not just an ordinary nun. Her name had once been Maggie Murdock. She had once been the wife of Jack Murdock, though she tried to forget that she'd had a life outside the convent. She tried to hide the fact that she was Matthew Murdock's mother.

She had abandoned her son soon after his birth. She'd given the newborn to his father and run to the church for forgiveness. Jack had loved his wife and was hurt that she had left their child. He raised Matt to think his mother was dead, and Matt had, until a year ago. A year ago, Matt discovered he had a mother.

"Yes? You asked for me?" the sister asked tentatively. She hadn't been sure if she had the right person, the boy only said that some man wanted to see her. What she didn't expect was to see her son. And even if she had, she wouldn't have expected her son to be staring her in the face.

"Matt! Can you see me?" She almost shouted the words in shock. Only the fact that she was in a church stopped her from hugging him in surprise and joy.

"May we go somewhere more private? Preferably inside, my eyes still aren't used to the sun." Matt said.

"Yes, of course, but Matt, how?" Sister Maggie sputtered.

"I'll explain everything when we are alone." Matt responded, looking around as if someone was listening, but no one was paying any attention to the two Murdocks.

Sister Maggie led Matt into her room.

"Explain. Now." She ordered in a sharp voice. Her shock was obviously wearing off somewhat.

Matt smiled. "It is a rather long story. The short version is that I was in a car accident. When I woke up three days later, I could see. I don't know why, but it's true."

A bolt of lightening struck Sister Maggie's brain. "Why did you need to tell me this alone?"

Matt's smile dropped from his face faster than one of Bullseye's paperclips.

"I came to ask your advice. When I got back my sight, I lost my enhanced senses. I am simply another man. The question is, can I still be Daredevil?"

Sister Maggie hesitated. "Ask God." She replied after a moment.

"What makes you think someone will answer?"

His mother's face turned stony. "I know your father raised you as a Catholic, I watched him do it! Don't insult my knowledge." She ordered. She was having trouble keeping her voice steady. "You are too old to be puzzling over the choice anyway."

Suddenly her voice changed. It became soft, motherly even. "I have watched you grow and become who you are today. You are more like your father than you realize. You didn't let blindness get in your way; you certainly won't let sight either. So stop asking yourself whether you can do it."

Matt stared at his mother. Her words hit their target. "Thank you."

Ten minutes later, Matt walked home. An hour later, Daredevil walked out.


	7. Unmasked

**A/N: I couldn't resist throwing in the section about Josie knowing Jack. If you read the BATTLIN' JACK MURDOCK miniseries you'll know where I'm coming from, but if not, it doesn't matter. **

Chapter Seven: Unmasked

-BW-

Josie's was Hell's Kitchen's store. It sold Hell's Kitchen's main merchandise: criminals.

Need a hit man? At the bar. An arsonist? Over by the window. Cost? Couple bottles of beer.

Josie was the storekeeper. She ran a tight ship and turned a blind eye to the criminal going-ons in her bar. She also had a hefty grudge against Daredevil; last year he had started a fight and she ended up with a bullet between her ribs and a wrecked bar. It had cost her more than a little money. So when Daredevil appeared in her doorway, she was not happy.

Heads turned to stare at the man near the door. He was wearing a dark red costume and a mask with two horns above the eyebrows covering most of his face. High on his chest were two interlocked D's. The eyes of the mask were hidden behind reflective fabric. The ensemble made for a frightening, demonic image. And that was just how Daredevil liked it.

"Hello ladies, gentlemen," Daredevil said, making little if no effort to hide the irony. "I'm here for Bullseye. I hear he's looking for me."

The environment up until now had been cold and fearful, but now it was plain old terrified. Everyone knew about Bullseye, he was, after all the best, and no one liked to run into him. No one responded to Daredevil's implied question.

"No one knows where I can find him?" Daredevil asked. He walked slowly to Turk, his usual snitch. "Hello Turk. What have you got for me?"

Turk didn't answer, so Daredevil grabbed a fist full of his shirt. "Come on Turkie, I know you know something." As soon as Daredevil said "Turkie", everyone started laughing.

But contrary to being embarrassed, Turk almost seemed to be restraining laughter. "I have a message from Bullseye. He says you are to meet him tomorrow night at the warehouse on 23rd."

Daredevil was about to release him when he heard someone creeping up behind him.

_Why do they always try? _He thought, kicking the man, still facing Turk. The beer bottle that was going to hit Daredevil's head went flying, but the poor man wasn't so lucky. He smashed into a wall. Daredevil waited a second, listening to the man's heartbeat to make sure he was okay, then turned back to Turk.

"Thanks. Tell Bullseye I'll see him there." He released him. Turk sank back into his chair, looking around as if daring people to make fun of him.

"Bye Josie. Thanks for your time." Daredevil said pleasantly.

Josie barely had time to snort before he was gone.

Daredevil headed home to his brownstone. He wanted to work out a little in his private gym then have an early night. He would need a good night's rest to fight Bullseye.

-SW-

Daredevil headed to Josie's bar. It was strange and a little harder to swing across buildings. It was also harder not being afraid when he could see what he was doing. Daredevil _almost _missed the familiar blackness. That fact didn't help his confidence much.

Daredevil opened the door to Josie's bar. He looked around. The expression on Josie's face was not happy, everyone else just looked frightened. Daredevil almost laughed at the man who was frozen, too shocked at Daredevil's appearance to notice the ball he was aiming at had been moved. _Guilty conscious, perhaps? _Daredevil thought.

"Does anyone have any information regarding Bullseye's whereabouts?" Daredevil scanned the room, looking for any signs of knowledge. There was a man in the corner who looked like he knew something. Daredevil walked slowly toward him.

"How about you?" He wanted to add, "Who are you?", but he didn't think that was a good idea. He could tell from the way the man was squirming that he did know something. Daredevil grabbed his shirt. "Well?"

"Bullseye says to meet him at the warehouse on 23rd tomorrow night."

Daredevil recognized the voice.

"Thanks Turk. Tell him I'll see him there." Daredevil was about to let him sit back down when something hit him, hard, on the head.

Daredevil's world started spinning; everything was getting hazy. He swung around to see the man from the pool table with a broken bottle in one hand and a shocked expression on his face.

"Oh My God." He whispered, and then he ran. The other people in the bar weren't far behind, including Turk.

Daredevil tried to focus on them leaving, but everything was blurry, spinning out of control. His already bruised head was splitting apart.

-SW-

The next thing Daredevil knew, he was on the floor. The bar was empty.

Daredevil tried to sit up, but his head was too heavy. He lifted his hand to his mask and pulled it off. That's when he noticed the door to the back of the bar was open. He tried to pull the mask back over his face, but in his dazed state, he wasn't fast enough.

"Jack!" Josie shouted, staring at Matt's face. The glass of scotch she was carrying smashed to the floor. Then her senses came back and she said, "No, it can't be!"

Matt stared at the woman who had just a minute ago been Josie - Josie the bar keeper with a huge grudge against Daredevil. He couldn't wrap his concussed head around it. "How did you know my father?"

"Your father? You really are Matthew Murdock?" Josie gasped.

"YES! How did you know my father?" Matt was shouting now. "And how do you know who I am?"

"You look just like him. Jack used to tell me all about you. He would come here for a drink before he got clean. He showed me a picture of you once. You were ten, reading a book. He was so proud of you! I remember the day he came in after you had your accident. I tried to pour him a drink, but he refused."

Matt looked closer and saw she was crying.

"I was there that night." She said softly. Matt didn't need her to tell him which night, he knew. It was the night his father was shot. "He told me he was going to throw the fight, but I couldn't bet against him. I told Jack I bet all my money on him. I wish I hadn't told him! He might not have decided to win if I hadn't." Josie was crying harder now.

Matt stood up, putting his arms around the sobbing woman. "It wasn't your fault. He told me just before he went outside that the reason he knew he could win was that I could take care of myself. That was why. It wasn't your fault. You just gave him another reason to win. He knew what he was doing." Matt whispered as Josie's tears wet his shoulder.

"Why are you here? Why are you Daredevil?" Josie asked suddenly.

"I'm here because I can be and I am Daredevil because I need to be."

"But you were blind. Jack told me you were blind!' Josie argued.

"Yeah, I was until last week. A car crash and a coma cured that. The radioactive isotope that I assume you know about did blind me, but it also enhanced my remaining senses. I used to hear a person's heartbeat from across a room, read by feeling the impressions on paper, etc."

"Used to?"

"Yeah, well, everything has a price."

"I should have known Jack Murdock's son would be more than he seems. I have been keeping an eye on you, you know. Ever since Jack died, I have been collecting newspaper clippings about you. I don't know why, it just made me feel like Jack was still here. You must think I'm just being silly." Josie laughed, as if trying to be nonchalant.

Matt didn't laugh. His head was still spinning too hard for sudden movements. "No, I don't."

Matt and Josie spent another hour talking about Jack Murdock. Then Matt left, feeling like a weight had been lifted from his shoulders.


	8. The Warehouse on 23rd

Chapter Eight: The Warehouse on 23rd

-SW-

The next day went by in a blur. Matt woke up, then suddenly he was coming home, and then in a blink of an eye it was dark. It was time.

Daredevil headed to 23rd Street. Daredevil had never really been afraid. In fact, he hadn't even known the feeling. Now he did. Every muscle in his crimson-clad body was screaming in protest of the fight to come. Twice he almost turned back, but his mother's words were pounding in his mind, over and over again like the thousand spotlights he passed. Then he was there, staring at the man he recognized immediately as Bullseye.

Bullseye was wearing a costume. It wasn't nearly as sharp as Daredevil's, but the sight was awesome nonetheless. The body of the suit was a deep, regal blue. The white of his gloves and the stripes around his chest, ankles, and wrists were sharp contrasts. Even more terrific was the mask. It was blue, like the suit, but on the forehead was a target. No, there was no mistaking this maniac.

"Bullseye." Daredevil said courteously.

"Daredevil" replied Bullseye.

Then the fight was on.

-SW-

Daredevil ducked again. He saw another missile go flying past his head.

_That has to be his last throwing star. Oh please God, let it be! _Daredevil pleaded, aiming a kick for Bullseye's shin, trying to get him off balance. The kick was, of course, blocked.

"Is that the best you have, Daredevil?" Bullseye's accent was stronger, he was teasing. "You've gotten slow in your old age." He laughed.

_What ever happened to the happy leprechaun laugh? _Daredevil thought.

He didn't reply out loud because he was too busy. He was concentrating on Bullseye's eyes, but they weren't telling him much. Daredevil was fighting blind.

He was having tremendous trouble anticipating his opponent's next move. He was used to hearing the heartbeats and breathing patterns. Without those, he was practically a martial artist punching bag.

Daredevil took out his billy club and took aim. It would have missed Bullseye by a couple of inches had Bullseye not caught it in midair.

"Thank you for this. I always forget how much I love your club. Tell me, who does your mechanics?" Bullseye joked, twirling the throwing club like a baton. "I must get his number. Do you think he'd go wholesale?"

Daredevil smiled. "He only excepts credit cards, I'm sorry. "

He threw another punch. It was easily deflected. _Where are the other superheroes when you need them?_

Bullseye laughed. Then, with the confidence of a magician pulling out a rabbit, he sent Daredevil's billy club flying. This time, Daredevil was a split second too late.

-BW-

The Man Without Fear swung through the air as cool as a stoned hippy. The air slapped his face, the sounds of the subway rolling underground was rhythmic.

Daredevil was ready to meet his match.

He heard Bullseye's heartbeat, smelled the adrenaline coursing through his blood. Bullseye was getting ready for a doozy. Daredevil did a mid-air flip and landed perfectly ten feet away from his foe.

"Bullseye."

"Daredevil."

Bullseye pulled something out of his pocket. "Let's play!"

He threw the object at Daredevil with precise aim. Daredevil heard the throwing star cut the air. His radar told him exactly where it was. He ducked it easily.

It didn't take long for Bullseye to run out of stars. Daredevil had ducked them all. As soon as he was out, Bullseye tried hand-to-hand. This was what Daredevil had been waiting for. They were in his territory now.

Daredevil came up with a graceful kick to Bullseye's ribs. Bullseye deflected and replied with a sweeping punch. It connected with Daredevil's billy club.

Bullseye backed up cradling his arm. He came back up with a playing card. Daredevil arched backward. The move would have made any Olympic gymnast jealous, but it only made Bullseye angry, his projectile had simply gone over Daredevil's arched stomach. Bullseye was truly fighting now; after all, he hated missing.

-BW-

The fight waged on with no one having the upper hand. Then Daredevil had an idea. He pulled out his billy club from its pouch on his thigh. Straining every sense, he threw it. It sped through the air like a jet plane. Bullseye wasn't ready for it, but he turned himself as to minimize the target, and it work. The billy club grazed the top of his cheek, knocking him ajar. Bullseye fell and, unfortunately for Daredevil, landed right next to the billy club, and even worse for Daredevil, he knew it.

Bullseye, a crimson stain spreading down his mask, threw the billy club with all his might his opponent. This time Daredevil was a split second too late.

-DD-

Foggy was sitting in the chair snoring, his head resting on a magazine. Matt opened his eyes and was greeted with… nothing. Blackness. He heard Foggy in the chair, sleeping.

"Foggy! What in the world are you doing here?" Matt asked.

"Matt! You're awake! Wait a minute; let me go tell Ben and Karen. They just went to get a cup of coffee, and I promised I'd get them if you woke up."

"Wait! What happened?"

"Don't you remember? We were in a car accident three days ago."

**A/N: So did the corrections help? Tell me if I missed anything (or if you just want to comment). And thanks girlwithoutfear for convincing me to edit if I wanted more positive remarks. **


End file.
